YNOT – New survey results released June 14 as part of the Trojan U.S. Sex Census indicate Americans’ sexual habits are just as diverse as the country’s population. Conducted by StrategyOne for Trojan condoms, the results were gathered March 15-21 from online surveys completed by adults 18 and older.

On a national level, the survey found that the average American adult has sex 120 times a year (2.3 times per week) and reported very high levels of sexual satisfaction (76 percent satisfied). Despite those statistics, sixty-three percent of respondents wish they were having sex more frequently.

The geography of American sexuality points to a decidedly northeasterly trend in sexual frequency. Indeed, people in the Northeast report having more sex than any other U.S. region, averaging 130 times per year (2.5 times per week), compared to the Midwest (125 times per year; 2.4 times per week), West (120 times per year; 2.3 times per week) and South (114 times per year; 2.1 times per week). When it comes to practicing safe sex, Northeasterners (43 percent) are more likely to report using condoms during sexual activity.

“As we saw with Indiana University’s National Survey of Sexual Health and Behavior, there is enormous variability that exists in the sexual repertoires of U.S. adults,” said Michael Reece, Ph.D., director of the Center for Sexual Health Promotion at Indiana University. “The Sex Census adds to our understanding of sexual behavior across different parts of the country, having probed deep into the sexual landscape, reinforcing that Americans demonstrate a high comfort level in exploring with and learning from their partners.”

Geography of American sexuality
Researchers discovered residents of metropolitan centers like Los Angeles and Houston are having the most sex per year, 135 times and 125 times respectively, while residents of Philadelphia and Dallas have the least, 99 and 104 times each.

Despite low levels of sexual frequency, Philadelphians reported very high rates of sexual satisfaction (82 percent satisfied), followed by New York (81 percent satisfied) and Atlanta (80 percent satisfied). San Francisco (70 percent satisfied), Boston (73 percent satisfied), Los Angeles (75 percent satisfied) and Chicago (75 percent satisfied) reported the lowest levels of satisfaction.

Satisfaction on the rise
While overall sexual satisfaction in America remains high, researchers found a great deal of variability in satisfaction based on relationship status. In fact, married couples reported much higher satisfaction rates (82 percent married vs. 71 percent single) while singles reported higher sexual frequency (130 times per year single vs. 109 times per year among married couples).
Meanwhile, national data on sexual exploration and preferences indicated overall high levels of sexual satisfaction, with 76 percent of Americans indicating they are satisfied by their sex lives and eighty-five percent reporting experiencing at least one orgasm.

Population shake-up
From sexual fantasies to vibrators, 74 percent of Americans are experimenting with sex and embracing ways to enhance the sexual experience for themselves and their partners. Across the four U.S. Census regions, the most sexually exciting place Americans have had sex is in a car (48 percent), followed by sex in someone else’s bed (33 percent). When asked where they would like to have sex but have not yet tried, 33 percent of men said sex on a plane and 26 percent of women said sex on a beach or at sea.

He said, she said
The survey also indicated that more men (83 percent) are willing to experiment than women (65 percent), which may explain why more men (31 percent) than women (16 percent) describe themselves as sexually liberal.

In addition,

• Men are more likely to report they enjoy both oral and penetrative sex equally (50 percent) compared to 32 percent of women.
• Seventy-one percent of men want more sex compared to 55 percent of women.
• The majority of men (85 percent) indicated they had purchased a condom, compared to only about one-half (51 percent) of women.
• Men’s favorite sex positions are missionary (27 percent), followed by doggy style (24 percent). Women reported missionary (45 percent) and reverse missionary (13 percent) as their favorite sexual positions.
• Men are more likely to discuss their sex life on Facebook or Twitter (15 percent) compared to women (6 percent).
• More than 70 percent of Americans believe hooking up is having sex with someone outside of a relationship, with 40 percent of women saying they were against hooking up compared to only about one-quarter (22 percent) of men.

Sex talk in America
Overall, Americans are open to talking about sex both online and offline.

• Nineteen percent of Americans have engaged in sexting, and 19 percent have had cybersex.
• Eighteen percent have had sex with someone they met over the internet.
• Ten percent have discussed sex on Facebook and/or Twitter.
• Americans are open to talking to their friends about sex, with 47 percent talking about sex with friends of the same gender and 28 percent talking to friends of the opposite gender.

Researchers concluded the data paints a picture of American sexuality as diverse and satisfactory.

“With the Trojan Sex Census, we took the 2010 U.S. Census a step beyond the [standard] demographic landscape,” said Bruce Tetreault, group product manager for Trojan sexual health products. “It’s clear that Americans are sexually diverse and strive to achieve full satisfaction in the bedroom.

“With Trojan sexual health products, we pride ourselves on providing many options to meet those needs and increase the pleasure factor in the bedroom,” he added. “From vibrations to a wide variety of condoms, there’s an option for everyone.”

For more about Trojan brand condoms and American attitudes about sex, visit TrojanCondoms.com.